Local School Board members chosen to serve on Alabama Association

At the
close of the Dec. 5-7 Alabama Association of School Boards Convention, four
school board members will take their seats on the AASB Board of Directors. They
are Donald Nichols of the Perry County school board for District 2, Gwendolyn
Harris-Brooks of Lanett for District 4, Kathy Landers of Talladega County for
District 6 and Karen Duke of Decatur for District 8.

It will be Nichols' second two-year term, Landers' first full term and the
first full term for Harris-Brooks and Dukes, who are both completing unexpired
terms caused by vacancies. Two two-year terms for district directors are
allowed under AASB bylaws. Neither candidate stood for election by AASB member
boards since they had no opposition.

District directors are the representative voice of the association's nine
geographical districts. Currently seated directors are District 1's James
Woosley of Satsuma, District 3's Jimmy Rodgers of Covington County, District
5's Suzy Baker of the Alabama School of Fine Arts, District 7's Belinda McRae
of Marion County and District 9's Dr. Jennie Robinson of Huntsville.

"Don, Gwen and Karen have proven they understand the value of our work to
develop school board leaders who are committed to good governance, excellent
boardmanship and student success," said AASB President Steve Foster of the
Lowndes County school board. "We welcome them back and are excited to have
Kathy aboard, as well. Each brings skills, expertise and a passion for
education that will be assets to this board."

Nichols
has been a Perry County school board member since 2004 and took an active role
in AASB's Pre-Kindergarten Committee and its Leader to Leader grassroots
advocacy network. He served in 2012 and 2013 on the AASB Multicultural
Committee and in 2012 advocated for public education as part of the National
School Boards Association Federal Relations Network. Nichols is a Master level
school board member in the AASB School Board Member Academy. He represents
school boards in Autauga, Bibb, Butler, Chilton, Choctaw, Dallas, Lowndes,
Marengo, Perry and Wilcox counties and in Demopolis, Linden and Selma. He is
married to Brenda and is a father and grandfather.

Harris-Brooks
has been a member of the Lanett school board since 2000 and is board president.
Her active involvement in AASB includes her service on the Multicultural
Committee and as a Leader to Leader advocate. She has also advocated for public
education as part of the National School Boards Association Federal Relations
Network. Harris-Brooks has reached the academy's Master level. The boards in
District 4 are Alexander City, Auburn, Lanett, Opelika, Phenix City, Pike Road,
Roanoke, Tallassee and the Department of Youth Services, as well as Bullock,
Chambers, Clay, Coosa, Elmore, Lee, Macon, Montgomery, Randolph, Russell and
Tallapoosa counties.

In her civic life, she has served as president of the Alabama State University
Valley Alumni Chapter, a board member for the H. Grady Bradshaw Library, a
treasurer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chambers County and a member of the
Chambers County Children Policy Council. She earned a bachelor's degree from
Alabama State University and owns a tax office and employment service. She is
the mother of Dau-NeKissta Williams and grandparent of Jalen and Kenda.

Duke,
president of the Decatur school board, represents the District 8 school boards
in Athens, Cullman, Decatur, Florence, Haleyville, Hartselle, Muscle Shoals,
Russellville, Sheffield and Tuscumbia. She also represents the county school
boards in Colbert, Cullman, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence Limestone, Morgan
and Winston counties. In 2012, Duke was selected as an All-State School Board
Member, AASB's highest honor. Also in 2012, her name was placed on the AASB
academy's Masters Honor Roll.

Duke has served on the Decatur board since 2000. She is a former Morgan County
Schools classroom teacher and former Decatur City School System administrator.
She has been actively involved in the Decatur City Schools Foundation, the
Enrichment Center Board of Directors and the Decatur/Morgan County Chamber of
Commerce.
Duke has a bachelor's degree in elementary education
from Athens State University. Her elementary education master's degree and
administrative certification are from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
She and her husband, David, attend the First Baptist Church of Decatur and have
two daughters, Audrey and Ashley.
Landers has been a member of the Talladega County
school board since 2010 and is the board's vice president. She represents District
6 school boards, including Anniston, Attalla, Calhoun County, Cherokee County,
Cleburne County, DeKalb County, Etowah County, Fort Payne, Gadsden,
Jacksonville, Oxford, Pell City, Piedmont, St. Clair County, Sylacauga,
Talladega, Talladega County and the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind.

Landers earned her bachelor's degree in education from the University of
Montevallo and a master's degree in education from the University of Alabama at
Birmingham. She retired from teaching in 2002 after 26 years of service in the
Talladega County School System. She is currently employed by SAFE Family
Services as a homeless prevention case manager and as an academic coach in the
Bridges after-school program. She and her husband, Willie, attend First Baptist
Church in Childersburg and are the parents of two children, Jim and Tiffanie.

Outgoing District 6 Director Dr. Tony Bolton of Oxford will be honored at the
close of AASB's Annual Convention. Convention headquarters will be the Hyatt
Regency-The Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham, and the 2013 theme is The 3 R's:
Ready. Resilient. Responsible. Sessions will address student poverty,
teacher accountability, resilience through challenging times, education law,
education funding and more.

The School Board Member Academy is AASB's "school" for school board members.
Completing the core curriculum is a prerequisite for reaching the academy's
fourth and Master levels. The Alabama Association of School Boards represents
all of the state's public local school boards. Since 1949, AASB has served
education leaders and the interests of local decision making in public
education. The association's mission is to develop excellent school board
leaders through quality training, advocacy and services. Visit www.AlabamaSchoolBoards.org
for more.